Shields is even less of a threat to GSP because his wrestling and top game are the only things he has, and his wrestling isn't good enough.

I don't necessarily disagree with your conclusion but I think that Shields would be more than competitive with all of the current contenders for a shot. I don't think any of them are legitimate threats to GSP.

Frankly I don't consider being a threat to GSP or Silva a reasonable standard to hold fighters in those weight classes at this point.

Silva and Marquardt and Franklin are all roughly equivalent in size, but Hendo walks around at 195 which is significantly smaller.

Shields also only moved to 185 because there isn't sufficient competition at 170 outside of the UFC.

The lack of competition outside of the UFC at welter is definitely true, but iirc Shields moving up had more to do with Strikeforce grooming Diaz for their welter title, since Shields and Diaz won't fight each other.

Originally Posted by Jack Rusher

I agree with your assessment concerning the likely outcome, but I'd still enjoy watching them conduct the exercise.

Originally Posted by UpaLumpa

I don't necessarily disagree with your conclusion but I think that Shields would be more than competitive with all of the current contenders for a shot. I don't think any of them are legitimate threats to GSP.

I don't think Shields/GSP would be a bad match but I have a hard time getting excited for matches where one participant does not have a realistic chance to win. For GSP/Thiago, Alves' ability to shut down Koscheck's wrestling gave at least some expectation that he would be able to keep it on the feet long enough to have an avenue of victory. Shields has never done anything to anyone from the bottom and never demonstrated that his wrestling is good enough to have a significant chance of taking GSP down, so I'm really not excited about it as a potential match - and to be fair, Swick has just as little chance against GSP and I'm not excited at all about that matchup, either.

The lack of competition outside of the UFC at welter is definitely true, but iirc Shields moving up had more to do with Strikeforce grooming Diaz for their welter title, since Shields and Diaz won't fight each other.

My recollection was that they were thinking Diaz for 160, Shields for 170 and Cung Le for 185. Then Le decided he didn't want to fight legitimate opponents. I also recall that Shields basically stated that his going up had to do with no opponents at 170 (hence the Lawler fight). His vacating the belt may have been for the reason you stated.

Then again, your information is usually better.

Originally Posted by Fighting Cephalopod

I don't think Shields/GSP would be a bad match but I have a hard time getting excited for matches where one participant does not have a realistic chance to win. For GSP/Thiago, Alves' ability to shut down Koscheck's wrestling gave at least some expectation that he would be able to keep it on the feet long enough to have an avenue of victory. Shields has never done anything to anyone from the bottom and never demonstrated that his wrestling is good enough to have a significant chance of taking GSP down, so I'm really not excited about it as a potential match - and to be fair, Swick has just as little chance against GSP and I'm not excited at all about that matchup, either.

I agree that Shields wouldn't have a chance. I also agree that there really are no compelling matchups for GSP. My point more was that I don't think that's a realistic measure. Really I'm simply more willing to accept that Shields might be top-5 even in the UFC today than I was on Friday.

As for MW weights, Hendo might be smaller but weighs in close to 205 when fighting at LHW (204 for his bout with Rampage). Basically the talk about Silva massively outsizing his opponents is, imo, nonsense. At LHW Silva is undersized.

I realize the onus was on Miller to shake Shields off, but to me that bout looked like the jiujutsu equivalent of lay and pray from Shields. A healthy share of positional dominance with no real attempt to finish and no significant strikes of any kind. Though that could be more of a testament to Mayhem's skill than anything else.

I was also a little ruffled that he was saved by the bell with that choke, but there's nothing to be done about it.

Fedor fight was entertaining but dude has always struck me as having the personality of drying paint.

Does anyone else have to fight the urge to hang themselves every time Mauro Ranallo opens his mouth?

GSP vs Shields. Eh, nah. Miller gave GSP a run for his money a while back and GSP is lightyears better than he was then.

[QUOTE=gonzomalan;2257123]not really, he took some legit shots. he apparently has the focus of a serial killer to be able to analyze his opponents (or listen to his corner in between rounds).
[QUOTE]

Exactly, but there is a strategy at play too. He switches to wild haymakers when he can't secure anything on the ground. Then the other fighter starts "winning" and then out of no where Fedor puts them out with the perfect comedic timing. He did the same thing to Arlovski.

BTW.

Propers to Phrost for calling it. This really is feeling like Haymaker month.

I don't think Shields was trying to just lay and pray, Miller's just a (metaphorically) slippery guy to sub out. I think Shields was getting frustrated, which led him to make the mistake of almost getting caught. It looked to me that he almost had the twister locked in, but Miller was slipping out, so he gave it up. I'd have to watch the fight again, though.

Rogers was reasonably frustrated at his loss. He came out in all the interviews saying he wasn't gonna get scared by the myth of Fedor, but ended up doing just that. Right as the second round started, he had his hands way down and I kept thinking "Hands up, hands up, he's gonna fucking counter-- Ah there it goes." Still pretty impressed with Rogers' ground game though, but I'm not sure how much was skill and how much was just muscle.

Also, Mousasi's judo is good, but Sokoudjou's judo is fucking OLYMPIC. He needs to switch camps to tighten up his bottom game, though.

I realize the onus was on Miller to shake Shields off, but to me that bout looked like the jiujutsu equivalent of lay and pray from Shields. A healthy share of positional dominance with no real attempt to finish and no significant strikes of any kind. Though that could be more of a testament to Mayhem's skill than anything else.

The last part is indeed the case. FatherDog/Cephalopod would be able to answer with more details but Miller spend time on the ground against Jacare and wasn't subbed. The guy is a lot better than people give him credit for.

Exactly, but there is a strategy at play too. He switches to wild haymakers when he can't secure anything on the ground. Then the other fighter starts "winning" and then out of no where Fedor puts them out with the perfect comedic timing. He did the same thing to Arlovski.

BTW.

Propers to Phrost for calling it. This really is feeling like Haymaker month.

*yawn*

Its not wild, they're not haymakers, how could he be so accurate with them if they were wild? That pic^of him hitting Nog, its more like a throw but you throw your fist at their face.

This is where it is really hard to teach boxers to do front throws, and alternately where I've had trouble throwing a controlled cross/hook: knowing when to put everything behind it or to step into your lead and recover.

Rodgers is just the latest to get tagged with this "sloppy technique"

Many things we do naturally become difficult only when we try to make them intellectual subjects. It is possible to know so much about a subject that you become totally ignorant.
-Mentat Text Two (dicto)